The World Forum for Local Economic Development in Sevilla, Spain, brought together more than 3,000 participants from 100 countries. The Mesa del Agua (roundtable on Water) called for urgent adaptation measures.
Speakers:
- Ángela Lara, professor and researcher at the University of Seville.
- Pedro Arrojo, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to water and sanitation.
- Jaime Morell, Supramunicipal Public Services of the Provincial Council of Seville.
- Ruth Quevedo, Executive Director of the Comisión de Regulación de Agua Potable y Saneamiento Básico.
- Abderrahim Zebbakh, Head of Cabinet, Tangier City Council (Morocco).
- Álvaro Real, Director General of Infrastructures of the Regional Government of Andalusia.
Chair: Luis Babiano, Director of the Spanish Blue Community Association of Public Water and Sewerage Companies aeopas.
The 6th World Forum for Local Economic Development (WFLED) was held in Seville at the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones (FIBES) from 1 to 4 April.
This international forum brought together more than 3,000 participants from 100 countries, including representatives of local, regional and national governments, development agencies, civil society organisations, the private sector and academia, with the aim of promoting the local economic development approach and strengthening global partnerships to implement concrete actions at the territorial level.
The Forum (WFLED) is an international platform that aims to promote the Local Economic Development (LED) approach as a key tool to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth in territories. Its main objective is to advance the policy debate and strengthen global alliances that enable the implementation of concrete actions at local, national and international levels.
The Forum is established as a space for dialogue and co-creation, where different actors – including local and regional governments, international organisations, civil society, the private sector and academia – work together to share experiences, knowledge and successful LED practices.
Under the theme ‘Just Transition, Financing Development and Territorial Solutions’, the Forum addressed key issues such as
- The triple transition (digital, social and economic) and its impact on local development.
- Strategies to promote decent work and social justice in territories.
- The role of public-private partnerships and the social and solidarity economy in promoting inclusive and sustainable economies.
- Financing mechanisms for sustainable local economic development.
- Territorial policies and multi-level partnerships to address global challenges such as climate change.
The forum also highlighted the importance of localising the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, promoting the alignment of local actions with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fostering cooperation to achieve these goals at the territorial level.
Holding this forum in Seville underlined the region’s commitment to local economic development, and provided a platform to share experiences and strengthen international cooperation in this area.
Conclusions
The elephant in the room is climate change. We are facing a radical transformation of the planet in the next 30 years, not two centuries. It is therefore essential to develop a new economic approach that includes, among other fundamental aspects, a clear strategy for water resource management. Climate change adaptation policies must be prioritised and guided by an effective water transition.
Spatial planning is an essential tool to address the challenges posed by climate change in the integral water cycle. The study and in-depth understanding of the interrelationships and interdependencies between the physical bases, which include both the geomorphological and ecological parts of a given space, and the socio-economic and cultural bases, are essential in order to face the effects of climate change and contribute to minimising its negative impacts.
In this scenario, rural populations are unfortunately treated as second-class citizens in terms of water supply systems, as they suffer from a significant lack of investment, which means that they have fewer options in terms of water collection sources, technology, specialised technical staff, etc., a situation that is further aggravated by the negative effects of climate change. In many cases, rural areas are the areas that supply water to the most densely urbanised areas, while rural populations do not have access to water.
Rural communities often play a crucial role in conserving natural resources. The efforts of these communities to protect water should be promoted as a general interest, thus contributing to greater transparency, citizen participation and democratic quality in terms of the role played by each party.
Water operators in rural areas find it difficult to cope with the constant need to adapt to national and regional regulatory standards due to a lack of economic and technical resources. On the other hand, this situation can be overcome in those enclaves where the urban density allows a greater efficiency of investment costs per inhabitant, thus facilitating the implementation of new technologies and processes to achieve the objectives set.
It is clear that the public administration must ensure that the revenue from water tariffs is sufficient to cover the costs of maintaining the urban services, which must guarantee a fair and equitable distribution. However, while it is necessary to move towards full recovery of water costs, this principle is difficult to achieve in rural areas due to the aforementioned lag in investment in infrastructure and technical training, and therefore requires additional economic mechanisms based on territorial solidarity.
The key is to recognise, listen to and build partnerships between all actors involved in the entire water cycle. It is essential to adopt an integrated approach to the problem, in particular to guarantee the human right to drinking water and sanitation. Supply must be considered a priority, even in regions or countries with a low per capita income, as water is essential for maintaining other environmental, economic and social aspects.
For its part, it is necessary to implement actions that integrate nature into urban spaces, creating friendlier environments through permeability techniques. In contrast to the traditional model of impermeable cities, progress must be made towards cities capable of facilitating the natural infiltration of water into the subsoil and the continuity of vegetated areas and ecological corridors in the urban fabric. There is an urgent need to incorporate permeable surfaces, such as flood parks or green facades, which absorb water and act as natural storage, filtration and purification systems, helping to mitigate the risks of floods, heat waves and droughts.
This should be complemented by active citizen participation, facilitated by clear and accessible information platforms, such as Citizen Water Observatories. It is also essential to have regulatory bodies that allow citizens to assess and compare the quality and efficiency of their water and sanitation services with neighbouring systems with similar characteristics.
Finally, it is essential to ensure transparency and accountability through the establishment of a regulatory body. Spain stands out negatively as the only European country that does not yet have an independent regulator capable of adequately comparing and monitoring water services.
